2006–2007 - Florida Institute of Technology

The customary classification of special students will be as undergraduate
students, regardless of the existence of previous bachelor’s
degrees. A student may, however, be classified as a special
graduate student. In such a case, designation and continuation of
graduate student status will be at the discretion of the cognizant
academic unit, or the director of graduate programs in the case
of students who are not seeking eventual admission to a graduate
degree program.
Course Requirements
Course requirements are stated in each master’s degree program
description. The stated minimum credit hours can include any
or all of the following, subject to academic unit approval and
specific restrictions stated in the Graduate Policy Manual:
1. Up to 12 semester hours of credit transferred from a regionally
accredited institution or, in some cases, from a foreign university;
or, in the case of a partner institution in a joint-degree or
dual-degree program with Florida Tech, up to one-half of the
total minimum credit hours.
2. Up to six semester hours of credit for 3000- and 4000-level
undergraduate courses taken at Florida Tech. Only 4000-level
courses will be considered if the courses are in the student’s
major field of study.
3. Credit previously used to meet the requirements of another
master’s degree at Florida Tech may be used to meet up to
one-half the credits required for the later degree.
4. Credit in excess of the seven-year statute of limitations if a
waiver is in effect, in accordance with the statue of limitations
section of this catalog.
Academic credit applied toward the requirements of a bachelor’s
degree, at Florida Tech or elsewhere, may not be used in any
graduate program at Florida Tech, regardless of the level of
the course.
Program Plan
Each master’s-level graduate student is required to have an
approved program plan on file no later than one month prior to
the time that nine credit hours of graduate courses have been
completed.
Only one program plan can be in effect for a student at any
given time.
Because of the importance of the program plan in establishing
a new program GPA following a change of major, no request
to change majors will be processed unless accompanied by an
approved new program plan. This requirement applies whether a
degree was earned in the first major or not.
Admission to Degree Candidacy
A master’s student becomes a degree candidate by satisfying the
following requirements:
1. removal of all course deficiencies specified at the time of
admission;
2. completion of at least nine credit hours of graduate courses in
good standing, as defined by the academic dismissal regulations
of the Office of Graduate Programs; and
3. approval of a program plan by the academic unit head.
Thesis
Master’s theses are required in some programs and are optional
in most others. The credit hours assigned to the thesis vary
according to the program. A student cannot initially register
for thesis unless his or her GPA is at least 3.0. Subsequent to
the initial registration, the student must continue to register for
thesis each academic term, including summer, until the thesis is
defended and accepted by the Office of Graduate Programs. An
interruption in thesis registration requires written approval in
advance and is permissible only for educationally sound reasons
and only if the student is making no use of university facilities or
personnel.
A grade of S (Satisfactory progress) or U (Unsatisfactory) is
assigned at the end of each academic term, with zero credit hours
earned. In the first term of registration, timely submission and
approval of the thesis proposal is required before a grade of S can
be assigned. Based on the written thesis proposal and other indications
of the candidate’s ability to organize and present research
plans and results in writing, the academic unit may require a
course in thesis preparation, COM 4000. In addition, the candidate
should contact the Office of Graduate Programs early in the
thesis preparation process for guidance regarding style and format
requirements. A Thesis Manual and Style Guide is available at the
bookstore.
After at least the required number of thesis credit hours have
been registered for and completed with grades of S, all research
has been completed and the written thesis prepared, a thesis
defense is scheduled. Scheduling the defense is the primary
responsibility of the candidate, who needs to take into account
faculty schedules, the need for adequate time for a thorough
faculty review of the completed thesis and the requirement that
the defense be included in the schedule of graduate examinations
that is published each week for examinations taking place the
following week. If the thesis defense is successful, a P grade is
assigned corresponding to the required number of thesis credit
hours. A minimum of five copies of the approved thesis must be
accepted by the Office of Graduate Programs before the degree
can be awarded.
Design Project
All requirements listed for theses in the preceding section apply
equally to design projects.
Final Program Examination
A final program examination is required in all master’s programs
with the exception of those in the College of Business, and
those in the School of Extended Studies for which there is no
on-campus counterpart. For nonthesis students, the examination
may be either written or oral, or both, at the discretion of
the academic unit. For thesis and design project students, the
examination consists primarily of an oral defense of the thesis or
design project and takes place during the last term of registration
for M.S. Thesis. Questions may be asked that pertain to related
subject matter, as well as directly to the thesis itself. Questions
requiring a written response may be directed to the candidate in
advance of the scheduled oral defense.
An examination candidate must have a grade point average (both
program and overall, if different) of 3.0 or higher at the time of
the examination to be permitted to schedule any final program
examination.
Graduate Information and Regulations 29